Wastewater management system for vehicles and related methods

ABSTRACT

A wastewater management system  10  includes a black water tank  12  for holding black wastewater and a grey water tank  14  for holding grey wastewater. The system  10  may additionally include a filter  62  for filtering suspended solids from the grey water; a first conduit  64  between the grey water tank  14  and the filter  62;  a second conduit  66  between the filter  62  and a toilet  22,  and a third conduit  68  between the filter  68  and the black water tank  12,  the third conduit  68  associated with a valve  26;  and a fourth conduit  69  between the filter  62  and the grey water tank  14,  the fourth conduit  69  associated with the valve  26.  The system  10  further includes a control sub-system  38  in communication with the valves  26  for controlling valves  26  to deliver filtered grey water to the toilet  22  for flush and to periodically clean the filter  62  of captured solids and deliver the captured solids to the black water tank  12.  A related method for managing wastewater within a recreational vehicles with the wastewater management system  10,  an apparatus for delivering wastewater from a recreational vehicles to a drain and an additive sub-system  54  for wastewater management system of a vehicle are also provided. Further, the present teachings relate to a system  10  including a housing associated with a toilet  22,  the housing including a valve and a macerator pumping arrangement  34  including a macerator  34   a  and a pump  34   b  that work independently from one another, the macerator  34   a  including a plurality of macerating knives  37  driven by a first motor  35   a,  the pump  34   b  providing positive pressure, the macerator pumping arrangement  34  is operative in a macerating mode and a pumping mode, such that the first motor  35   a  first drives the macerating knives  37  to macerate the waste and subsequently, the pump  34   b  pumps the waste out of the housing  34   a.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/501,250 filed 4 May 2017, which application is expressly incorporatedby reference as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a wastewater management system forvehicles. The present disclosure also relates to a wastewater managementmethod for vehicles.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

In the recreational vehicle or motor home industry, for example, it iscommon to incorporate a waste management system having at least apermanent waste holding tank. More commonly, RVs are outfitted with twosuch independent tanks: a “black water” tank for holding semi solidhuman waste and a grey water tank for holding wastewater from sinks andshowers, for example. It is also known to equip an RV with a wastemanagement system having a holding tank that is removable from the RVfor emptying and cleaning. Boats and other vehicles may be equipped withsimilar waste management systems.

While known sanitation systems for vehicles may have proven to besuccessful for their intended purposes, a continuous need forimprovement remains in the pertinent art.

SUMMARY

The present teachings are generally related to various aspects of awastewater management system for a recreational vehicle or othervehicle.

The present teachings more particularly provide a system for managingwastewater of a vehicle such as an RV that makes disposal of waste(black and grey) water more hygienic, safe and convenient. Through asingle discharge nozzle that connects to the black water tank, emptyingof all waste from all waste tanks, without spilling, on any types ofconnection to a wastewater infrastructure is provided. Any observableodor of the waste will be less dominant than in existing situationsbecause of reduced expose to the waste water, controlled use ofadditives, and regular mixing of wastewater.

The present teachings additionally provide a system for managingwastewater of a vehicle such as an RV which increases the time periodbetween each black water discharge moment by more effective control ofchemical and biochemical decomposition processes by mixing the waste inthe tanks regularly with continuous and precisely dosed additives, andby reusing grey water to flush the toilet, thereby reducing waste andreducing usage of fresh water.

The system re-uses water from the grey water tank to flush the toilet toreduce fresh water usage, and to reduce the volume of wastewater. Solidsmay be filtered out from the grey water and the grey water may betreated with additives. The use of additives to control the system ismade more convenient, accurate and safe by replacing manual dosage withan intelligent and automated dosing system that doses additives asrequired.

The vehicle manufacturer is given freedom of placing a toiletpractically anywhere in the vehicle by eliminating the traditional,removable waste holding tank and replacing the traditional, removablewaste holding tank with a smart macerator and positive pressure pumpthat uses much less water than traditional macerator toilets and pumpsout through very tiny diameter tubing. The reduced tubing diameters leadto reduced dead volumes of waste. This also allows the toilet to bemovable in the vehicle.

The system provides the user information about the status of thewastewater management system, based on real time data measured in thesystem and provides communication via a user interface panel or portablesmart device application.

The system reduces the fouling of the wastewater tank walls, extendingsystem life and reducing problems associated with fouling such as odornuisance and clogging by using appropriately formulated additives dosedas needed and by cleaning the black water tank with grey water upon eachdischarge.

The system combines discharging of black water and grey water into oneaction, speeding up the process by eliminating many manual actions suchas: carrying the traditionally heavy (±20 kg) waste holding tank to thedump location, pouring the unpleasant content into the dump spot,cleaning the inside of the waste holding tank, uncontrolled dosing ofnew additives, adding a start volume of water to the tank and placingback the waste holding tank in the vehicle.

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a wastewater managementsystem for vehicles. The system may include a black water tank forholding black wastewater and a grey water tank for holding greywastewater. The system additionally includes a filtering device forfiltering suspended solids from the grey water; a first conduit betweenthe grey water tank and the filter; a second conduit between the filterand the toilet, the second conduit associated with a first valve; and athird conduit between the filter and the black water tank, the thirdconduit associated with a second valve; and a fourth conduit between thefilter and the grey water tank, the fourth conduit associated with thesecond valve. The system further includes a control sub-system incommunication with the first and second valves for controlling the firstand second valves to deliver filtered grey water to the toilet forflush, to mix the content in the grey water tank and to periodicallyclean the filter of captured solids and deliver the captured solids tothe black water tank.

In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method formanaging wastewater of a vehicle with the wastewater management systemof the preceding paragraph.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to an apparatusfor delivering wastewater from a vehicle to a drain. The apparatus mayinclude a housing 80 having an outer wall 82 and an inner wall 90generally perpendicular or slightly angled to the outer wall 82. Thehousing 80 and the inner wall 90 may define an inlet chamber 84 abovethe inner wall 90 and a further outlet chamber 86 below the inner wall90.

In still yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to anadditive sub-system for wastewater management system of a vehicle. Theadditive sub-system includes a grey water additive dispenser, a blackwater additive dispenser and a flush water additive dispenser. The greywater additive dispenser is in fluid communication with the grey watertank through a pump for delivering a grey water additive to the greywater tank. The black water additive dispenser is in fluid communicationwith a macerator housing associated with a toilet through a pump fordelivering a black water additive to the macerator housing, or with theblack water tank through a pump for delivering a black water additive tothe black water tank. The flush water additive dispenser is in fluidcommunication with the flush water conduit through a pump for deliveringa flush water additive to the flush water.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that the description andspecific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram of wastewater management system fora vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosurefor enabling storage and emptying of black water and grey water fromassociated black water and grey water holding tanks.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a macerator housing for use withthe wastewater management system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of one example of a control panel forcontrolling the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an environmental view of an apparatus for deliveringwastewater from a vehicle to a drain in accordance with the presentteachings, the apparatus or discharge adapter shown operativelyassociated with a drain.

FIG. 4 is a simplified view of a macerator pump arrangement inaccordance with the present teachings.

FIG. 5A is a simplified view of another macerator pump arrangement inaccordance with the present teachings.

FIG. 5B is a simplified view of another macerator pump arrangement inaccordance with the present teachings.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the discharge adapter of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through a base of the dischargeadapter of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken through the discharge adapter ofFIG. 6, illustrated with a valve of the discharge adapter in a closedposition.

FIG. 9 is another cross-sectional view taken through the dischargeadapter of FIG. 6, illustrated with a valve of the discharge adapter inan open position.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a combination valve of thewastewater management system of the present teachings.

FIG. 11 is another view of the combination valve of FIG. 10, thecombination valve shown integrated with a filter of the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is notintended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. Itshould be understood that throughout the drawings, correspondingreference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

Referring generally to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, awastewater management system in accordance with exemplary embodiment ofthe present teachings is illustrated and identified at referencecharacter 10 (hereinafter simply the “system 10”). The present teachingsare particular adapted for enabling efficient usage and storage ofwastewater on a recreational vehicle (“RV”) and emptying of wastewaterfrom the RV. It will be understood, however, that the present teachingsmay be adapted for other applications where wastewater is collected forperiodically emptying.

As noted above, present teachings are generally related to variousaspects of a wastewater management system for a vehicle. These variousaspects are shown in FIG. 1 incorporated into an exemplary system 10,with alternative structures described below and shown in various of theother drawings. These various aspects may be used alone or incombination with each other within the scope of the present teachings.

The system 10 of the present teachings may generally include a firstholding structure defined by a black water holding tank 12 and a secondholding structure defined by a grey water holding tank 14. The system 10may also include a fresh water holding tank 16. In general, the greywater tank 14 may hold grey water in the form of kitchen wastewater 18from a kitchen sink, for example, and bathroom wastewater 20 from abathroom sink and/or shower, for example. The grey water in the greywater holding tank 14 may be used for flushing of a toilet 22 forpurposes of conserving water in the fresh water tank 16, and reductionof grey water in the grey water tank. The black water tank 12, ingeneral, receives black water from a positive pressure pump 34 bassociated with a macerator housing 24 associated with the toilet 22.

The system 10 is illustrated to include various valves for controllingflow between the various components. As shown, the valves may beelectronically controlled valves 26 or manually controlled valves 28.The valves 26 and 28 may be gate valves, or ball valves, for example.Certain of the valves may be three-way valves 26A. It will beunderstood, however, that the system 10 is not limited to use with anyparticular type of valves; essentially any form of valve that can beelectronically or manually commanded to open and close to accomplish thedesired flow within the system 10 may potentially be used with thesystem 10 within the scope of the present teachings. Explaining further,it will be understood that electronic valves 26 may be substituted withmanually controlled valves 28 throughout the system 10 for specificapplications within the scope of the present teachings. Additionally, itwill be understood that where the system 10 is described to include acombination valve 26A, the combination valve 26A may be replaced withmultiple valves to accomplish the same function. In another embodiment,the valves around the tank module are integrated in one single valvehousing system using one motor, opening and closing various conduits bydifferent angular states of the motor shaft.

The system 10 may include level sensors 30A, 30B and 30C for sensing thelevel within the black water tank 12, the grey water tank 14 and thefresh water tank 16, respectively. The level sensors 30A, 30B and 30Cmay be float assemblies, for example, configured to transmit electronicsignals that indicate a fluid level within the corresponding tank 12,14, and 16. While the level sensors 30A, 30B and 30C may be floatassemblies, it will be appreciated that the system 10 is not so limited.Essentially any type of level sensing device (e.g., capacitive, acousticor otherwise) that is able to sense the level of the fluid within thetanks 12, 14 and 16 and provide electrical signals indicative of thesensed levels, may be used with the system 10. Certain of the tanks 12,14 and 16 may include further sensors for more accurately sensing tankcapacity. For example, the black water tank 12 may include anacceleration sensor 31 and a temperature sensor 33.

The system 10 may further include pumps 32 for pumping fluid (e.g.,fresh water, grey water, and black water and additives) through thesystem 10. The pumps may be any suitable pump known in the art.Preferably, the pumps 32 may be automatically controlled by electronicsignals from the controller 38. Alternatively, the pumps 32 may becontrolled by user input. In one particular application, the pumps 32for the grey and black water tanks 14 and 12 are centrifugal pumps andthe pumps 32 for the additives are piston pumps. It will be appreciated,however, that any type of pump may be used within the scope of thepresent teachings.

Traditional macerator toilets macerate and pump the waste at the sametime in one action. As a result, the waste is not sufficiently maceratedand therefore large diameter hoses and a large amount of flush watermust be used to prevent clogging. According to the present teachings,the housing 24 associated with the toilet 22 may include a maceratorpump arrangement 34. The macerator pump arrangement will be describedwith particular reference to the simplified view of FIG. 4. The housing24 is illustrated to include an upper portion 24A and a lower portion24B. The upper portion 24A of the housing 24 defines an upper chamber24C. A toilet valve is conventionally mounted in the upper portion 24Afor movement between open and closed positions. The upper portion 24Amay be generally cylindrical and elongated along an axis B. The lowerportion 24B defines lower chamber 24D. The lower portion 24B may have agenerally circular cross section in a plane perpendicular to axis C, andmay taper in a direction parallel to axis C as it extends from the upperportion 24A. The axes B and C enclose an obtuse angle less than 180°.More particularly, the angle enclosed by the axes B and C is between 60°and 80°.

A narrowing 24E of the housing 24 is located at an intersection of theupper and lower portions 24A and 24B. The narrowing 24E in the outerwall to prevent the waste from being forced upwards by the centrifugalforces during the maceration. The narrowing 24E guides the waste backtowards the bottom of the chamber 24C/24D.

The macerator pump arrangement 34 may include a macerator 34A and apositive pressure pump 34B that may work independently from each other.The macerator 24A is located at a lower end of the lower portion 24B andin fluid communication with a hose 72.

First, the macerator 34A runs within the housing 24 like a blender,ensuring that all toilet waste received within the housing 24 issufficiently macerated into a slurry with use of very little toiletflush water. After that, the waste can be pumped out through a smalldiameter hose by positive pressure in the macerator chamber 24C/24D,created by the positive pressure pump 34B. The present teachings allowfor a small diameter hose 72 having an internal diameter of less than 25mm, preferably less than 20 mm and more preferably approximately 16 mmor less. This compares with a conventional hose diameter of 25-30 mm.The macerating knives 37 and the pump 34B may be driven by at least onemotor. As illustrated, the macerating knives 37 of the macerator 34A maybe driven by a first motor 35A and the positive pressure pump (e.g.,airpump 34B) may be driven by a second motor 35B. The macerator pumparrangement 34 and resultantly the complete system 10 are much moresilent as compared to conventional macerator toilets due to theseparated mixing and pumping functions.

The toilet macerator housing 24 may include a sieve 140, positionedbetween the macerator 34A and the chamber 24D. The sieve prevents largeparticles of the waste water from entering the small diameter hose 72 tothereby prevent clogging of the hose 72. Particles blocked by the sieve140 being macerated by the knives 37 that run close to the sieve 140.

In use, the first and second motors 34A and 35B may be automaticallycontrolled with the controller 38. In this regard, a single userinitiated flush command (e.g., passing a button or level) may cause thecontroller 38 to first run the first motor 35A and to subsequently runthe second motor 35B.

In another embodiment of this invention, which is shown in thesimplified view of FIG. 5A, the macerator pump arrangement 34 maysimilarly include a macerator 34A and a pump 34B′ that may workindependent from each other. In this embodiment, the pump 34B′ is acentrifugal pump. As above, the macerator 34A first runs within thehousing 24 like a blender, ensuring that all toilet waste receivedwithin the housing 24 is sufficiently macerated into a slurry with useof very little toilet flush water. After that, the waste can be pumpedout through a small diameter hose by the pump 34B′. Macerating knives 37of the macerator 34A may be driven by a first motor 35B and pump blades39 of the centrifuged pump 34B′ may be driven by a second motor 35B.Again, the macerator pump arrangement 34 and resultantly the completesystem 10 are much more silent as compared to conventional maceratortoilets due to the separated mixing and pumping function.

In another embodiment of the present invention shown in the simplifiedview of FIG. 5B, the housing 24 associated with the toilet 22 mayinclude a macerator pump arrangement 34″ and a valve 26 (shownimmediately below the macerator pump 34 in the schematic drawing of FIG.1). The macerator pump arrangement 34″ has both a macerating and pumpingfunction integrated in one design with one motor. A single motor 35 a isoperative to drive both macerating knives 37 and pump blades 39 of themacerator pump 34. The valve 26 associated with the macerator pump 34steers the pump mode between macerating and pumping. When the valve 26is closed, ensuring that all waste does not leave the macerating housing24, the macerator pump arrangement 34″ is operated by the controller 38in macerating mode on high voltage, and all waste is mashed into slurry.After that, the valve 26 opens and the macerator pump arrangement 34″ iscontrolled by the controller 38 to operate in pumping mode on lowvoltage. When the macerator pump arrangement 34″ operates in the pumpingmode, the slurry gets pumped to the black water tank 12. By alternatingthe voltage of the macerator pump arrangement 34″ between the differentmodes, reduced noise may be achieved.

With further reference to FIG. 1, a control sub-system in the form of acontrol unit 38 and a display unit may be incorporated for controllingthe management of wastewater within the system 10 and for emptying ofthe wastewater tanks 12, among other functions to be described herein.The control unit 36 may be located anywhere in the vehicle. The controlunit 38 may include a controller 38 which is in communication with themacerator pump 34, with each of the valves 26, and with each of thelevel sensors 30A, 30B and 30C. While not illustrated in FIG. 1, it willbe understood that the controller 38 may also be in communication withthe various pumps 32 of the system.

The display unit 50 may incorporate a user operated keypad 40 or otherbuttons in communication with the controller 38 for initiatingprogrammed routines of the system 10 and/or for opening/closing selectedones of the valves 26 or pumps. The macerator pump 34 may be controlledat the toilet 22, for example. The grey water pump 32 may be controlledat both the toilet 22 (for flushing) and at a display 50 of the displayunit 36 (for instance, for pumping grey water to the black water tank12, for mixing grey water or as part of an automated cleaning cycle).The controller 38 may be in communication with a display 42. The displaymay be an LCD touchscreen display 42, for example. The display 42 mayhave soft touch keys or controls to enable user selection variousfunctions. Such soft touch keys or controls may be in addition to or inlieu of the keypad 40.

In other implementations remote actuation of the black water pump 32 andopening/closing of the valves 26 may be accomplished by either a key fobor even a smartphone running a suitable software application. In eitherevent, the key fob or the smartphone may be in wireless communicationswith a suitable RF transceiver sub-system (not shown) in communicationwith the controller 38. The RF transceiver sub-system may operate inaccordance with a well-known short range, wireless communicationprotocol, for example the BLUETOOTH® wireless communications protocol,or any other suitable protocol. This enables the user to remotelycontrol the system 10 from a short distance. The user may also have theability to view tank levels and notifications on a long range distance.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary display 42 inaccordance with the present teachings is illustrated. The display 42 mayinclude a first portion 42A that visually represents a capacity of thefresh water tank 16. The display 42 may also include a second portion42B that visually represents a capacity of the black and grey water tankcombined 12. Other portions of the display 42 may include a storagemode, connectivity options, notifications, including but not limited toa notification for an empty additive stock.

It will be understood that the system 10 of the present teachings may becontrolled in any manner. In this regard, the control/display unit maybe separated into a control unit (always fixed in the tank or toiletmodule) and a display unit (remote device or integrated in the RVcentral panel). The display unit 36 may be integrated in the centraldisplay unit already present in conventional RV's through any type ofcommunication. The display unit may also be a remote device.

As shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1, the fresh water tank 16 mayoptionally be in fluid communication with the grey water tank 14. Thisfluid communication may be through a valve 26. This fluid communicationmay also be through a bacterial backflow prevention 52. With such anoptional communication between the fresh water tank 16 and the greywater tank 14, fluid communication between the fresh water tank 16 andthe toilet 22 would not be required. Explaining further, such optionalfluid communication may deliver fresh water to the grey water tank 14for toilet flushing in the event the grey water tank 14 is empty orbelow a predetermined level and the system 10 does not provide fordirect communication between the fresh water tank 14 and the toilet 22.Additionally, this communication between the fresh water tank 16 and thegrey water tank 14 may be used for complete flushing/rinsing of thesystem 10.

The system 10 may additionally include an additive sub-system 54. Theadditive sub-system 54 may include additive dispensers 54A, 54B, and54C. Each of the additive dispensers 54A, 54B, and 54C may be refillablewith specific additives. In one embodiment, the additive dispensers 54A,54B, and 54C may receive replaceable cartridges containing the specificadditives. Each additive cartridge 54A, 54B, and 54C may be associatedwith an RFID label 56 that communicates with the controller to keeptrack of the pumped volume of additives from the dispenser. In thismanner, the controller 38 can communicate the remaining level ofadditives to the user on the display. The RFID label 56 may alsoinclude, store and communicate other information such as, but notlimited to, cartridge lifetime, cartridge type for keying in the wrongreceptacle, cartridge producer, relevant usage data, etc.

In alternative applications within the scope of the present teachings,each additive dispenser 54A, 54B, and 54C may be associated with a levelsensor (not shown) for delivering an electronic signal to the controller38 indicative of a corresponding level or indicative that the additiveis out or almost out (e.g., the additive requires filling or cartridgereplacement).

In one particular application, the amperage value of each additivedispenser 54A, 54B, and 54C may be monitored during pumping. Arelatively high amperage value will confirm that the dispenser ispumping liquid (e.g, additive remains in the dispenser). A relativelylow amperage will indicate that the dispenser is pumping air and thecartridge level is too low (e.g., additive needs to be added).

The additive dispenser 54A may be in fluid communication with the greywater tank 14 through a pump 32 for delivering a grey water additive tothe grey water tank 14. Dosing of the grey water additive to the greywater tank 14 may be controlled automatically by the controller 38. Forexample, the controller 38 may control dosing of the grey water additiveto the grey water tank 14 in response to detection of a predeterminedvolume level of grey water in the grey water tank 14 by the level sensor30B.

The additive dispenser 54B may be in fluid communication with thehousing 24 associated with the toilet 22 through a pump 32 fordelivering a black water additive. In this manner, black water additivemay be delivered to the macerator housing 34A in response to a flush ofthe toilet 22. Alternatively, the black water additive may be delivereddirectly to the black water tank 12 (as shown in FIG. 1 in dashedlines). The amount of additive per flush may be fixed and be sufficientto control the generation of malodor by the contents of the black watertank 12. Alternatively, the amount of black water additive per flush maybe adjusted by the control 38 based on various factors, including butnot limited to a time that waste is held in the black water tank 12, atemperature of the black water tank 12, a volume of black water in theblack water tank.

The additive dispenser 54C may be in fluid communication with the flushconduit 65 through a pump 32 for delivering a flush water additive tothe toilet bowl which is activated by a flush signal. In certainapplications, each of the additive dispensers 54A, 54B, and 54C may alsobe associated with a sensor to sense the age of the correspondingadditive and communicate a corresponding signal to the controller 38when replacement is needed due to additive expiration.

As described, the wastewater management system 10 of the presentteachings includes three cartridges 54A, 54B and 54C each containing aliquid composition to serve grey water, black water and flush water,respectively. The flush water additive of the system 10 provides asynergistic effect when grey water is reused. Similarly, the flush wateradditive has a synergistic effect with the black water additive. Thegrey water additive keeps the microbiological activity and malodourformation controlled in the grey water, enabling the flush wateradditive to improve the odour experience. This function is achieved by amix of surfactants, sequestrants and odour control agents. The flushwater additive reinforces the activity of the black water additive,thereby enabling malodour control in the black water tank. This functionis achieved by a mix of surfactants, perfume and odour control agents.

Use of the system 10 of the present teachings will now be furtherdescribed. When an RV equipped with the system 10 begins a trip, thefresh water tank 16 may be substantially or completely full. The blackwater tank 12 and the grey water tank 14 may be substantially orcompletely empty. The system 10 may monitor the levels within the tanks12, 14 and 16 with the sensors 30A, 30B and 30C, respectively. At leastthe level of the black water tank 12 may be additionally monitored withan acceleration sensor 31 to more accurately assess tank capacity. Thesensed levels of the tanks 12, 14, and 16 may be communicated to thecontroller 38 and in turn displayed for the user on the display 42, orthe remote display.

Kitchen wastewater 18 from a kitchen sink, for example, and bathroomwastewater 20 from a bathroom sink and/or shower, for example, may drainto the grey water tank 14 under the force of gravity through a conduit60. The kitchen wastewater 18 and bathroom wastewater 20 may becollected and stored in the grey water tank 14. The grey water in thegrey water tank 14 may be used for flushing of the toilet 22 in responseto a user request for flushing. This grey flush water is delivered to afilter 62 through a conduit 64. The filter 62 filters solids from thegrey water to create a visually acceptable toilet flush water for theuser. Filtered grey flush water is delivered to the toilet 22 forflushing through a conduit 65. The flush water additive discussed belowmay be introduced at this location. The conduit 65 is associated with avalve 26. Explaining further, the controller 38 may operate to open theelectronically actuated valve 26 associated with the conduit 65 and pumpgrey water to the toilet 22.

At the toilet 22, there may be an optional extra valve to route theflush water to either a bowl of the toilet 22 (to flush the toilet) orto the macerator housing 24 (to rinse the housing 24 as part of anautomated cleaning cycle).

The conduit 65 may also be associated with a pressure sensor (notshown). If there is no pressure sensed by the pressure sensor, a cloggedfilter condition may exist. Appropriate user notification may be sent tothe controller 38 and displayed on the display 42.

The solids collected by the filter 62 may be periodically transported tothe black water tank 12 through a conduit 66. In this regard, thecontroller 38 periodically functions to close the valve 26 associatedwith the conduit 65, open a three-way valve 26A associated with theconduit 66 to communicate the filter 62 with the black water tank 12,and pump grey water from the grey water tank 14 through conduit 64 andinto the filter 62. These actions clean the inside of the filter 62 andtransport the filtered solids through conduit 66 from the filter 62 tothe black water tank 12.

The grey water in the grey water tank 14 is treated with automaticallydosed additives. The filter 62 also enables a grey water mixing cyclethat more evenly distributes grey water additives to treat the greywater and at the same time flushes the filter medium of the filter 62clean. In this regard, a further conduit 69 extends from the filter 62to the grey water tank 14. As shown in the embodiment illustrated, thefurther conduit 69 may be associated with the three-way valve 26A.Explaining further, the valve 26A may be controlled to completely closeflow to either conduit 66 or conduit 69, may be opened to flow only toconduit 66 or may be open to flow only to conduit 69. As will bediscussed below, a hose or conduit 72 may extend between the black watertank 12 and the discharge adapter 74. The conduit 72 may be associatedwith a three-way valve 26A and a pump 32. The valve 26A may be connectedback to the black water tank 12 through black water mix conduit 71. Whenthe valve 26A is positioned in a mixing mode to allow flow back to theblack water tank, the black water gets mixed when the black water pump32 runs. Mixing of the black water is preferred to avoid sediments ofblack water in the tank and also to distribute incoming additives fromthe toilet macerator chamber with the total black water volume in thetank. The 26A valve can also be operating in dumping mode open to thedischarge adapter 74.

In the event that the grey water tank 14 does not have sufficient greywater to complete a requested flush cycle of the toilet, the toilet 22may be flushed with fresh water. Flushing of the toilet 22 with freshwater may be accomplished in two different manners depending on theparticular configuration of the system 10. In a first manner, uponsensing of a low level of grey water within the grey water tank 14, thecontroller 38 opens an electronically actuated valve 26 associated witha conduit 68 between the fresh water tank 16 and the toilet 22. Freshwater is pumped from the fresh water tank 16 to the toilet 22. In asecond manner, the controller 38 may open an electronically actuatedvalve 26 associated with an option conduit 70 between the fresh watertank 16 and the grey water tank 14. Fresh water is pumped from the freshwater tank 16 to the grey water tank 14. The controller then deliversthe fresh water residing in the grey water tank 14 to the toilet 22 inthe manner discussed above.

The flush water additive may be dosed into the system 10 anywhere alongthe supply line of grey water flush 65.

The additive sub-system 54 provides for a flexible and automatic dosageof additives as required based on actual waste production. This makessure that the quantity of additives in the waste tanks is alwaysappropriate for the actual situation; not too high (waste of additives)and not too low (uncontrolled microbial activity).

The black water tank 12 and the grey water tank 14 may be periodicallyemptied in response to a user command entered through a control on thedischarge adapter 74 or by a remote device. Such emptying of the blackwater tank 12 may be desired when the black water tank 12 has reachedcapacity or when an RV trip has been completed, for example. In responseto user input, the controller 38 may operate to open the valve 26associated with the conduit 72 providing fluid communication between theblack water tank 12 and a drain 96 or discharge adapter 74. The conduit72 may also be associated with a first manually actuated valve 28proximate the discharge adapter 74. Upon opening the valve 28, thecontroller 38 may pump black water from the black water tank 12 to thedischarge adapter 74. After the black water tank 12 is emptied, the greywater pump will pump the grey water into the black water tank 12 torinse the walls of the black water tank 12 and empty the grey water tank14. The grey water will then travel from the black water tank 12 to thedischarge adapter 74 to clean out the discharge adapter 74 andassociated hoses.

Optionally, the discharge adapter 74 may be connected to a further wasteholding tank 76. The further waste holding tank 76 may be permanently orremovably carried by the RV, may provide further capacity for blackwater storage, and may to be able to dump waste in a traditional way(i.e., transport of the waste holding tank 76 without moving thevehicle). One suitable type of portable waste holding tank 76 is sold bythe assignee of this application under the trademark Cassette®.

The discharge adapter 74 enables a high flow rate through small diameterhoses while discharging waste from the black water tank 12 withoutspilling waste outside of the designated disposal area. The dischargeadapter 74 is designed to fit a large variety of sewer grates 96.Preferably the discharge adapter 74 is stored on the outside of thevehicle, or stored in a separate compartment that is easily accessed andhygienic to use. With particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 6 through 9 anexemplary embodiment of a discharge adapter 74 for delivering wastewaterfrom a recreational vehicle to a drain 96 is shown and generallyidentified at reference character 74. In FIG. 3, the discharge adapter74 is shown operatively associated with a conventional drain 96 andfurther operatively associated with hose 72 or conduit for deliveringwaste from the system 10 to the discharge adapter 74.

The discharge adapter 74 is illustrated to generally include a housing80, a sealing member 83 and a handgrip 91. [RUUD, SEE FIG. 9 AND EDITTHE LEAD LINE FOR REFERENCE CHARACTER 83, IF NECESSARY. FIG. 9 Lead lineis OK. The figure does show strange lines in the top part of the handle.The housing 80 may be unitarily constructed of plastic, for example. Inthe embodiment illustrated, the housing 80 is shown to be cylindrical inshape. An outer wall 82 of the housing 80 includes an upper portion 82Acircumferentially defining an inlet chamber 84 and a lower portion 82Bcircumferentially defining a further chamber 86 for receiving thesealing member 83. The inlet chamber 84 is in fluid communication withan inlet 97. The conduit 72 is attached to the inlet 97.

The housing 80 further includes an outlet 88 downwardly extending fromthe inlet chamber 84. The outlet 88 may be cylindrical and centrallylocated within the housing 80. The outlet 88 may be connected to theouter wall 82 of the housing 80 through an inner wall 90. The inner wall90 may be generally perpendicular or slightly angled to the outer wall82. As shown, the inner wall 90 radially extends and separates the inletchamber 84 from the further chamber 86. The outlet 88 may terminateshort of a lowermost end 82C of the outer wall 82 of the housing 80.

In one particular application, the sealing member 83 may be constructedof any suitable material. In a radial direction, the sealing member 83is positioned between the outlet 88 and the outer wall 82. In an axialdirection, the sealing member 83 is position below the radiallyextending wall 90. In an uncompressed state, the sealing member 83extends below the lowermost end 82C of the outer wall 82 of the housing80. As illustrated, the sealing member 83 may include a lower portion82B that radially extends inwardly below the wall defining the outlet88.

The handgrip 91 may be formed separately from the housing 80 andattached thereto to make the handle collapsible. Alternatively, thehandgrip 91 may be formed unitarily with the remainder of the housing80. The handgrip 91 is generally U-shaped including first and seconddownwardly extending legs 98 and 100 connected by an intermediateportion 102. As illustrated, the handgrip 91 is hollow and is formed offirst and second handgrip halves 91A and 91B. The handgrip halves 91Aand 91B may be snap-fit together, connected with fasteners or connectedin any manner well known in the art. Lower ends of the first and secondlegs 98 and 100 are rotatably received within ears 104 upstanding froman upper surface of the housing 80. Explaining further, the ears 104define radially outward facing and cylindrically shaped openings 106.These openings 106 rotatably receive the correspondingly shaped freeends of the first and second legs 98 and 100 such that the handgrip 91may be rotated between an upright, use position (as shown in thedrawings) and a lowered or stored position. While not shown in thedrawings, it will be understood that the lowered, stored position isattained by rotating the handgrip 91 ninety degrees from the upright,use position.

As illustrated, the discharge adapter 74 may include a valve 94 thatensures a closed and leak-free gate after each discharge cycle. Thevalve 94 may be opened and closed by the user. The closed position isshown in FIG. 9. The open position is shown in FIG. 10. The valve 94 hasa sealing part that presses against the wall 90. The sealing part 98 ispositioned in close proximity to the outlet 88 of the discharge adapter92 to ensure minimal dripping of waste from the discharge adapter 92.

The discharge adapter 74 may include a valve activation mechanism 95that is an integrated part of the handgrip 91 of the discharge adapter74.

The valve activation mechanism 95 is illustrated to generally include aplunger 106 and a user control member 108. The valve 94 is carried at alower end of the plunger 106. The valve 94 may be integrally formed withthe plunger 94 or formed as a separate part and secured to the lower endof the plunger 106. In the embodiment illustrated, the plunger 106 iscylindrical in shape and disposed within a correspondingly,cylindrically shaped conduit 110 integrally formed with the housing 80.The plunger 106 is movable within the conduit 110 between a loweredposition (shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example) and an upper position(shown in FIG. 9, for example). In the lowered position, the valve 94 isseated and flow between the chamber 84 and the outlet 88 is prevented.In the upper position, the valve 94 is unseated to allow flow betweenthe chamber 84 and the outlet 88. The plunger 106 may be biased to itslowered position with a spring, for example.

The user control member 108 is generally disposed within a cavity 112defined between the halves 91A and 91B of the handgrip 91 and rotateswith the handgrip 91. As shown, the user control member 108 includesfirst and second legs 108A and 108B, an upper laterally extendingportion 108C that laterally extends between the first and second legs108A and 108B, and a lower laterally extending portion 108D that alsolaterally extends between the first and second legs 108A and 108B.

The user control member 108 is rotatably coupled to the upper end of theplunger 106. In this manner, the handgrip 91 (and thereby the usercontrol member 108) may be rotated relative to the housing 80. Asillustrated, the lower laterally extending portion 108C is formed toinclude a pair of inwardly extending portions 116. The inwardlyextending portions 116 may be disk shaped or cylindrical and may berotatably received within correspondingly shaped cavities 118 formed inthe upper end of the plunger 106.

The user control member 108 is movable within the handgrip 91 between alowered position (shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example) and an upperposition (shown in FIG. 9, for example). In the lowered position, theplunger 106 is in its lowered position, the valve 94 is seated and flowbetween the chamber 84 and the outlet 88 is prevented. In the upperposition, the plunger 106 is in its upper position and the valve 94 isunseated to allow flow between the chamber 84 and the outlet 88.

The user control member 108 further includes a button 120 that may bedepressed by the user. The button 120 may be integrally formed with theuser control member 108 and extend through an opening 122 in theintermediate portion 102 of the handgrip 91. In this regard, the button120 may normally extend into a central opening 124 defined by thehandgrip 91. The user may grasp the handgrip 91 and squeeze the button120 to translate the user control member 108 from the lowered positionto the upper position. In use, the discharge adapter 74 may be placedupon a conventional drain 96 (as shown in the environmental view of FIG.3, for example). The discharge adapter 74 may be balanced and ofsufficient weight such placement by the user on the drain 96 operates tocompress the sealing member 83. In response to user input to theactivation button, the controller 38 may open the electronicallyactuated valve 26 associated with a conduit 72 to thereby deliverwastewater from the recreational vehicle to the drain 96 via thedischarge adapter 74. Explaining further, by opening the valve 26associated with the conduit 72, the controller 38 may pump black waterfrom the black water tank 12 to the discharge adapter 74. After theblack water tank 12 is emptied, the grey water pump will pump the greywater into the black water tank 12 to rinse the walls of the black watertank 12 and empty the grey water tank 14. The grey water will thentravel from the black water tank 12 to the discharge adapter 74 to cleanout the discharge adapter 74 and associated hoses.

The user control member 108 may include a retention mechanism 128 forretaining the user control device 108 in the upper position and therebymaintain the valve 94 in an open orientation. The retention mechanism128 may be integrally formed with or carried by the user control member108. As shown in the drawings, the retention mechanism 128 is integrallyformed with the user control member 108 and upwardly extends from theleg 108B. The user control mechanism 128 includes a detent 130. As theuser control member 108 translates from its lower position to its upperposition, the detent 130 rides along a ramp 132 carried by the leg 108Bof the handgrip 91. As the user control member 108 approaches the upperposition, the upper end 134 of the retention mechanism and the detent130 are inwardly deflected. When the detent 130 passes the ramp 132, theretention mechanism elastically rebounds such that the detent 130 ispositioned over the ramp 132 (as shown in FIG. 9, for example) andengagement between the detent 130 and the ramp 132 prevents inadvertentmovement of the user control mechanism 128 from the upper position tothe lower position. In this regard, the upper end of the retentionmechanism 128 must be deflected in an inward direction A before the usercontrol mechanism 128 can be lowered from the upper position.

Turning to FIGS. 10 and 11, the three-way valve 26A of the presentteachings is further illustrated. In FIG. 11, the valve 26A is shown aspart of a subassembly 126 that includes the filter 62.

It will now be appreciated that the system 10 of the present teachingsis an intelligent structure of components (e.g. pumps, valves, sensors)that provides for real time monitoring and managing of wastewater withinan RV. The system 10 thus provides a highly convenient and easy to usemeans for enabling a user to monitor the black water and grey waterlevels in the holding tanks of an RV, to conveniently empty the tanks 12and 14 when needed. In particular, the system 10 eliminates the need formanual emptying of the black water tank by a Cassette® type system. Withthe system 10, the user may use a single drain hose, and simply emptythe black water tank 12 and the grey water tank 14 through the blackwater tank 12 to rinse the system 10 clean. If a key fob or smartphoneapplication is included, the user may even remotely start the emptyingoperation from a remote location where the end of a drain hose has beencoupled to a remote sanitation/sewer hookup.

While various embodiments have been described, those skilled in the artwill recognize modifications or variations which might be made withoutdeparting from the present disclosure. The examples illustrate thevarious embodiments and are not intended to limit the presentdisclosure. For example, while the various inventions described hereinmay have particular application for recreational vehicles, the presentteachings may be readily adapted for other vehicles, including but notlimited to those in the marine industry. Therefore, the description andclaims should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as isnecessary in view of the pertinent prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wastewater management system of a vehicle, the wastewater management system comprising: a black water tank for holding black water; a grey water tank for holding grey water; at least one valve for routing grey water from the grey water tank; a first conduit between the grey water tank and the valve; and a second conduit between the valve and the black water tank, the valve selectively operable to route grey water from the grey water tank to the black water tank
 1. 2.-13. (canceled)
 14. A method of managing the wastewater management system of one of the preceding claims, the method comprising: automatically controlling the at least one valve and and pumps with the controller of the control sub-system to deliver filtered grey water to the toilet for flush and to periodically clean the filter of captured solids and deliver the captured solids to the black water tank. 15.-48. (canceled)
 49. A toilet sub-system of a wastewater management vehicle, the toilet sub-system comprising: a toilet; and a housing associated with the toilet, the housing including a macerator pumping arrangement including a macerator and a pump, the macerator including a plurality of macerating knives, the pump being an airpump providing positive pressure in a macerator chamber to pump waste from the macerator chamber; and at least one motor for driving the pumps and the macerator, wherein the macerator pumping arrangement operative in a macerating mode and a pumping mode, such that in the macerating mode the first motor first drives the macerating knives to macerate the waste and subsequently in the pumping mode the waste is pumped out of the macerating chamber by positive pressure.
 50. The toilet sub-system of claim 49, further comprising a controller for alternating a speed of the macerator pump between the macerating mode and the pumping mode to thereby reduce noise.
 51. The toilet sub-system of claim 49, further comprising a sieve that prevents large waste particles to enter the outlet of the macerator chamber.
 52. The toilet sub-system of claim 49, further comprising a narrowing in the outer shape wall of the housing that prevent waste from flowing upwards due to a centrifugal force of the maceration of the waste.
 53. The toilet sub-system of claim 49, further comprising a small diameter hose in fluid communication with the macerator chamber for discharging macerated waste from the macerator chamber, the small diameter hose having an internal diameter of less than 25 mm, preferable less than 20 mm and more preferably approximately 16 mm or less. 54.-59. (canceled)
 60. The wastewater management system of claim 1, in combination with the apparatus for the wastewater management system comprising: a black water tank for holding black water; a grey water tank for holding grey water; at least one valve for routing grey water from the grey water tank; a first conduit between the grey water tank and the valve; and 